Marquez targets podium despite “not feeling 100 percent”

The three-time premier class champion’s illness prevented him from running during second practice on Friday, but Marquez was back in action on Saturday to take part in qualifying.

In wet conditions, the Spaniard secured fourth place on the grid, setting a best time just under four tenths shy of poleman Andrea Dovizioso.

“Today was a difficult day, but first of all I felt much better than yesterday, which is the most important for me,” said Marquez.

“Physically I’m not 100 percent, of course, but much better. Now I am drinking a lot of water, today already four litres, and tomorrow the doctors say I will be even better.

“I was strong in one lap, but we need to understand how the rhythm of the tyres is [for the race]. Nobody knows, I think.

“We need to check also which temperature [it will be], which front tyre, which rear tyre. For the podium we can fight; for the victory, I don’t know, I will try.”

Starting fourth “no disaster”

Marquez added that, after topping FP4, his Repsol Honda crew took a gamble on set-up ahead of qualifying that failed to pay dividends.

“In FP4 I felt ok, then I tried to improve the set-up because we take a risk for the qualifying,” he said.

“If tomorrow the race is in wet conditions, we need to know which set-up to follow. We take the risk and change the set-up, and it was working worse.

“So tomorrow we need to come back, but in FP4 we were strong and starting fourth is not a disaster.”

Additional reporting by Scherazade Mulia Saraswati